Real-time communications events including audio and/or video conferencing are known on communications networks such as packet-based networks, including internet protocol (“IP”) networks. Often, these may be implemented across large networks to allow tens, hundreds, or even more individual connections to communicate with one another. Generally, a communications event application is executed at one or more locations on the data network. This application may connect users to the event, manage data flow between the users, provide some security, and perform other event management functions.
Often a client/server architecture is used wherein the server runs applications for the benefit of the client. Within some communications sharing events, participants are clients and the event application software that manages the event resides on a server computer. Often these communications events may include use of many applications, including video, audio, security, playback, data sharing, and the like. Each of these applications may require one or more software utilities running on and managed by the server. In some applications multiple event servers may be running to interface very large numbers of participants with one another. When this occurs, the servers may need to communicate and coordinate with one another. Such events may use a software component that may be referred to as a conference bridge to be running to link the users to one another. The conference bridge may, for example designate ports for communications to be routed over and otherwise control communications traffic between users.